Won from the Waves — Page 3

English → Fr CHAPTER ONE. Level 6/10

It was not especially attractive--indeed few scenes would have appeared to advantage at that moment; but when sunshine lighted up the blue dancing waters, varied by the shadows of passing clouds, the marine painter might have found many subjects for his pencil among the picturesque cottages, their sturdy inhabitants, the wild cliffs, and the yellow strand glittering with shells.

Ce n'était pas particulièrement attrayant -- en effet, peu de scènes auraient paru à leur avantage en ce moment ; mais lorsque le soleil éclairait les eaux bleues et dansantes, variées par les ombres des nuages passants, le peintre marin aurait pu trouver de nombreux sujets pour son pinceau parmi les pittoresques chaumières, leurs robustes habitants, les falaises sauvages et le rivage jaune scintillant de coquillages.

Farther inland the country improved.

Plus loin dans les terres, le paysage s'améliorait.

On the higher ground to the south were neat cottages rising among shrubberies, the parish church with its square tower, and yet farther off the mansion of Sir Reginald Castleton, in the midst of its park, with its broad lake, its green meadows and clumps of wide-spreading trees, surrounded by a high paling forbidding the ingress of strangers, and serving to secure the herd of graceful deer which bounded amidst its glades.

Sur les hauteurs au sud se trouvaient de coquettes chaumières s'élevant parmi les bosquets, l'église paroissiale avec son clocher carré, et plus loin encore le manoir de Sir Reginald Castleton, au milieu de son parc, avec son vaste lac, ses verts pâturages et ses massifs d'arbres aux larges ramures, entouré d'une haute palissade interdisant l'entrée aux étrangers et servant à retenir le troupeau de gracieux cerfs qui bondissaient dans ses clairières.

The fishermen--regardless of the driving mist, which, settling on their flushing coats and sou'-westers, ran off them in streamlets--kept turning their eyes seawards, endeavouring to penetrate the increasing gloom.

Les pêcheurs -- indifférents à la brume cinglante qui, se déposant sur leurs cirés et leurs suroîts, en ruisselait en filets -- ne cessaient de tourner les yeux vers la mer, s'efforçant de percer l'obscurité croissante.

"Here comes Adam Halliburt!" exclaimed one of them, turning round; "we shall hear what he thinks of the weather.

« Voilà Adam Halliburt ! » s'exclama l'un d'eux en se retournant ; « nous allons entendre ce qu'il pense du temps.

If he has made up his mind to go to sea to-night, it must come on much worse than it now is to keep him at home."

S'il a décidé de prendre la mer cette nuit, il faudrait que le temps empire bien davantage pour le retenir chez lui. »

Vocabulary

était: ay-teh — Past tense of 'être'; 'was' or 'were'.
particulièrement: par-tee-kyoo-lyair-mahn — Adverb meaning 'particularly' or 'especially'.
attrayant: ah-treh-yahn — Adjective meaning 'attractive' or 'appealing'.
effet: eh-feh — Noun meaning 'effect'; 'en effet' means 'indeed'.
peu: puh — Adverb or adjective meaning 'few' or 'little'.
scènes: sehn — Plural noun meaning 'scenes' or 'views'.
auraient: oh-reh — Conditional form of 'avoir'; 'would have'.
paru: pah-roo — Past participle of 'paraître'; 'appeared' or 'seemed'.
avantage: ah-vahn-tahj — Noun meaning 'advantage' or 'benefit'.
moment: moh-mahn — Noun meaning 'moment' or 'time'.
lorsque: lors-kuh — Conjunction meaning 'when' introducing a time clause.
soleil: so-lay — Noun meaning 'sun'.
éclairait: ay-kleh-reh — Imperfect form of 'éclairer'; 'was illuminating'.
eaux: oh — Plural noun meaning 'waters'.
bleues: bluh — Feminine plural adjective meaning 'blue'.
dansantes: dahn-sahnt — Adjective meaning 'dancing' or 'shimmering'.
variées: vah-ree-ay — Adjective meaning 'varied' or 'diversified'.
ombres: ohm-bruh — Plural noun meaning 'shadows' or 'shades'.
nuages: noo-ahj — Plural noun meaning 'clouds'.
passants: pah-sahn — Adjective or noun meaning 'passing' or 'passersby'.
peintre: pan-truh — Noun meaning 'painter' or 'artist'.
marin: mah-ran — Adjective or noun meaning 'marine' or 'sailor'.
aurait: oh-reh — Conditional form of 'avoir'; 'would have'.
pu: poo — Past participle of 'pouvoir'; 'been able to'.
trouver: troo-vay — Infinitive verb meaning 'to find'.
nombreux: nom-bruh — Adjective meaning 'numerous' or 'many'.
sujets: soo-zheh — Plural noun meaning 'subjects' or 'topics'.
pinceau: pan-so — Noun meaning 'paintbrush'.
parmi: par-mee — Preposition meaning 'among' or 'amidst'.
pittoresques: pee-toh-resk — Adjective meaning 'picturesque' or 'charming scenery'.
chaumières: shoh-myair — Plural noun meaning 'thatched cottages'.
robustes: roh-boost — Adjective meaning 'robust', 'sturdy', or 'strong'.
habitants: ah-bee-tahn — Plural noun meaning 'inhabitants' or 'residents'.
falaises: fah-lehz — Plural noun meaning 'cliffs'.
sauvages: soh-vahj — Adjective meaning 'wild' or 'untamed'.
rivage: ree-vahj — Noun meaning 'shore' or 'riverbank'.
jaune: zhohn — Adjective meaning 'yellow'.
scintillant: san-tee-yahn — Adjective meaning 'sparkling' or 'glittering'.
coquillages: koh-kee-yahj — Plural noun meaning 'seashells'.
loin: lwan — Adverb meaning 'far' or 'farther away'.
terres: tair — Plural noun meaning 'lands' or 'grounds'.
paysage: pay-zahj — Noun meaning 'landscape' or 'scenery'.
améliorait: ah-may-lyoh-reh — Imperfect form of 'améliorer'; 'was improving'.
hauteurs: oh-tuhr — Plural noun meaning 'heights' or 'hills'.
sud: sood — Noun meaning 'south'.
trouvaient: troo-veh — Imperfect form of 'trouver'; 'were found' or 'stood'.
coquettes: koh-ket — Adjective meaning 'charming' or 'neat and pretty'.
élevant: ay-luh-vahn — Present participle of 'élever'; 'rising' or 'standing'.
bosquets: bos-keh — Plural noun meaning 'groves' or 'small wooded areas'.
église: ay-gleez — Noun meaning 'church'.
paroissiale: pah-rwah-syal — Adjective meaning 'parish' relating to a local church.
clocher: kloh-shay — Noun meaning 'bell tower' or 'church steeple'.
carré: kah-ray — Adjective meaning 'square' in shape.
encore: ahn-kor — Adverb meaning 'still', 'yet', or 'even'.
manoir: mah-nwar — Noun meaning 'manor house' or 'country estate'.
milieu: mee-lyuh — Noun meaning 'middle', 'center', or 'environment'.
parc: park — Noun meaning 'park' or 'grounds of an estate'.
vaste: vast — Adjective meaning 'vast' or 'extensive'.
lac: lak — Noun meaning 'lake'.
verts: vair — Masculine plural adjective meaning 'green'.
pâturages: pah-too-rahj — Plural noun meaning 'pastures' or 'grazing fields'.
massifs: mah-seef — Plural noun meaning 'clumps' or 'clusters of trees'.
arbres: ar-bruh — Plural noun meaning 'trees'.
larges: larj — Adjective meaning 'wide' or 'broad'.
ramures: rah-moor — Plural noun meaning 'branches' or 'boughs of trees'.
entouré: ahn-too-ray — Past participle of 'entourer'; 'surrounded' or 'enclosed'.
haute: oht — Feminine adjective meaning 'high' or 'tall'.
palissade: pah-lee-sahd — Noun meaning 'fence', 'palisade', or 'stockade'.
interdisant: an-tair-dee-zahn — Present participle of 'interdire'; 'forbidding' entry.
entrée: ahn-tray — Noun meaning 'entrance' or 'entry'.
étrangers: ay-trahn-zhay — Plural noun meaning 'strangers' or 'foreigners'.
servant: sair-vahn — Present participle of 'servir'; 'serving' a purpose.
retenir: ruh-tuh-neer — Infinitive verb meaning 'to hold back' or 'retain'.
troupeau: troo-po — Noun meaning 'herd' or 'flock' of animals.
gracieux: grah-syuh — Adjective meaning 'graceful' or 'elegant'.
cerfs: sair — Plural noun meaning 'deer' or 'stags'.
bondissaient: bohn-dee-seh — Imperfect form of 'bondir'; 'were leaping' or 'bounding'.
clairières: kleh-ryair — Plural noun meaning 'clearings' in a forest.
pêcheurs: pay-shuhr — Plural noun meaning 'fishermen'.
indifférents: an-dee-fay-rahn — Adjective meaning 'indifferent' or 'unaffected by'.
brume: broom — Noun meaning 'mist' or 'fog'.
cinglante: san-glahnt — Adjective meaning 'biting', 'stinging', or 'lashing'.
déposant: day-poh-zahn — Present participle of 'déposer'; 'depositing' or 'laying'.
cirés: see-ray — Plural noun meaning 'oilskins' or 'waterproof coats'.
suroîts: soo-rwah — Plural noun meaning 'sou'westers', waterproof sailor hats.
ruisselait: rwee-sleh — Imperfect of 'ruisseler'; 'was streaming' or 'trickling'.
filets: fee-leh — Plural noun meaning 'nets' used for fishing.
cessaient: seh-seh — Imperfect of 'cesser'; 'kept on' or 'did not stop'.
tourner: toor-nay — Infinitive verb meaning 'to turn'.
yeux: yuh — Plural noun meaning 'eyes'.
vers: vair — Preposition meaning 'toward' or 'towards'.
mer: mair — Noun meaning 'sea' or 'ocean'.
efforçant: eh-for-sahn — Present participle of 's'efforcer'; 'striving' or 'trying hard'.
percer: pair-say — Infinitive verb meaning 'to pierce' or 'penetrate'.
obscurité: ob-skoo-ree-tay — Noun meaning 'darkness' or 'obscurity'.
croissante: krwah-sahnt — Adjective meaning 'growing' or 'increasing'.
Voilà: vwah-lah — Exclamation meaning 'there is', 'here is', 'look there'.
exclama: ex-klah-mah — Simple past of 'exclamer'; 'exclaimed'.
eux: uh — Stressed pronoun meaning 'them' or 'they'.
retournant: ruh-toor-nahn — Present participle of 'retourner'; 'turning around'.
allons: ah-lohn — First person plural present of 'aller'; 'we are going'.
entendre: ahn-tahn-druh — Infinitive verb meaning 'to hear'.
pense: pahns — Present tense of 'penser'; 'thinks' or 'is thinking'.
temps: tahn — Noun meaning 'time' or 'weather'.
décidé: day-see-day — Past participle of 'décider'; 'decided'.
prendre: prahn-druh — Infinitive verb meaning 'to take'.
cette: set — Feminine demonstrative adjective meaning 'this' or 'that'.
nuit: nwee — Noun meaning 'night'.
faudrait: foh-dreh — Conditional of 'falloir'; 'it would be necessary'.
empire: ahn-peer — Present subjunctive of 'empirer'; 'worsens' or 'gets worse'.
bien: byan — Adverb meaning 'well' or 'very much'.
davantage: dah-vahn-tahj — Adverb meaning 'more' or 'even more'.
chez: shay — Preposition meaning 'at the home of' someone.
lui: lwee — Stressed pronoun meaning 'him' or 'to him'.

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